TEST
That I ended up reading Vermont Valentine was pure serendipity. I was rushing out the door to take my daughter to a Lemony Snicket booksigning, and the UPS man drove up right at that moment. I didn’t want to take the time to go back in the house, so I shoved the packages in my car and hit the road. I didn’t realize at the time that I had forgotten the book I was currently reading – a rare occurrence for me, as I hate to be caught with time on my hands on no book to read. And I ended up with a lot of time on my hands. Five hours worth, to be exact. Happily, Hardy’s book was among the packages, so while Lemony Snicket signed books for (seemingly) every child in Denver, and my daughter and I made up fun imaginary names for all the other people in line, I read.
Celie Favreau works for the US Forest Service, specializing in a pest called the maple borer. Celie has spent years studying the insect, which takes over trees and kills them. Her current job is to investigate possible infestations and take steps to prevent widespread outbreaks. Her current investigation in Vermont leads her to Jacob Trask.
Jacob is a stereotypical loner type, happily tending the family’s generations-old sugar maple farm as his brothers leave to pursue other avenues. This is the first year he will be doing it on his own, since his father died recently. Jacob takes care of the trees and the syrup making, and his mother runs the family store. It’s a labor of love for him, and he can’t imagine any other life. He has no desire to leave his small Vermont hometown or the business, and his past experience with women indicates that finding a woman willing to accept his lifestyle choices is tantamount to impossible. Jacob meets Celie when she’s accidentally trespassing on his land. She sees something interesting on one of his trees as she’s driving by, and thinking she’s on land owned by the Vermont Sugar Maple Institute, she stops to investigate. When Jacob asks what she’s doing, she quickly apologizes and leaves, but the connection between them is immediate.
Jacob and Celie become further involved when she surveys his property and finds some infected trees. She has to make some heart-breaking decisions over how many trees to take down, and also has a moral dilemma involving a vaccine – one she knows is effective, but hasn’t yet been officially cleared for use. As this is going on, she finds herself drawn into Jacob’s world. She meets his family and begins helping him during an early sap run. Eventually, they make love, and there are some difficult decisions to be made. Celie has her career to consider; her lifestyle involves frequent travel, and she rarely calls any one place home for very long. Jacob, obviously, is very tied to the land. Can they possibly make this work?
When I first started in on this one, I was a little dubious. Jacob seemed liked the quintessential surly loner from the middle of nowhere – not really my type of hero. However, I was surprised to find myself really liking him, probably because he was just a shade off the ordinary. Most small town heroes seem to fall into one of two camps: surly and bitter, or aw-shucks good guy. Jacob is neither. He’s a voracious reader with a penchant for family history and a really cool old house. He’s devoted to his work, and he’s good at it. And here’s where Hardy’s research comes in, because Vermont Valentine is full of information about sugar maples and syrup making. Not in an over-bearing pedantic way, either. As Celie helps Jacob, he teaches her about the history of the area and what his family does, and it seems completely natural and organic to the story.
Celie is also likable. She’s a more complex character than you’d typically see in a category romance. She loves her job but has conflicts with local people who oppose what she does. She also has her own moral choices about her methods (which end up coming back to haunt her). Interestingly, she also struggles with her own family legacy. Just as Jacob’s family has their Vermont sugar maples, Celie’s family has a Montreal bookstore. Celie always saw her parents as so tied to the store that it ran their entire life, and it’s not the sort of existence she want for herself. Falling in love with a man who is very tied to one particular place is a challenge for her.
This is the third book I’ve read by Hardy. The other two were both Harlequin Blazes. There are some commonalities between them. What I have noticed is that I always learn something reading her books, because there’s always something a little extra, as well as a real sense of place. One of my biggest criticisms of series romances (and often just romances in general) is that many authors have a real tendency to phone it in. Even when they start with an interesting idea, soon enough you feel like you are just reading romance by numbers. Not so with Hardy’s books; all three I’ve read were unique, with believable different settings and great research that made them come alive. This particular book worked better for me than the other two, possibly because by their very nature Blazes can seem a bit contrived. Every Blaze has to involve hot sex, and usually it involves some wacky set-up to get to the hot sex in the first place. Jacob and Celie certainly share some nice love scenes, but they come along in their own good time, and in a way that makes sense.
All in all, this is exactly the sort of read I am hoping for when I pick up a series romance. It’s not your perfect all-time keeper, but it provides a quick, diverting read. That it manages to be fun and informative at the same time is just icing on the cake. I recommend it for either a quiet evening at home – or as an entertaining diversion during a long wait.
Grade: B
Book Type: Series Romance
Sensuality: Warm
Review Date: 19/01/06
Publication Date: 2006/02
I've been at AAR since dinosaurs roamed the Internet. I've been a Reviewer, Reviews Editor, Managing Editor, Publisher, and Blogger. Oh, and Advertising Corodinator. Right now I'm taking a step back to concentrate on kids, new husband, and new job in law...but I'll still keep my toe in the romance waters.
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Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.